ATHLETICS: Derval O'Rourke now has a much better idea of what it will take to medal at the European championships in Gothenburg in just under five weeks' time.
The world indoor champion had only her second race of the summer over the 100-metre hurdles at the Athens Super Grand Prix last night, and her fifth-place finish in 13.02 seconds certainly fell short of expectations.
Despite the benefit of a tailwind measuring 2.3 metres (just over the legal limit), O'Rourke was unable to better the 12.96 seconds she ran just 48 hours previously at the Cork City Sports - a time that equalled her three-year-old Irish record.
The most telling aspect of the race was that victory went to Kirsten Bolm of Germany in a season's best of 12.69 seconds, which offers a clear indication of the sort of time necessary to medal in Gothenburg.
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